Three people caught with a large quantity of drugs in a vehicle during a traffic stop along Interstate 80 in Carbon County entered guilty pleas last Friday in the county court.

One faces a long state prison term, a second was sentenced to a state term and the third received a time-served sentence. All three appeared before Judge Joseph J. Matika.State police at Fern Ridge stopped a vehicle on July 11, 2016, westbound in Kidder Township. At the stop troopers identified the driver as Eladio Santiago, 33, of Tamaqua. Passengers were Jarred McKenzie Profit, 34, of Hazleton, in the front seat, and Rafael Medina, 31, of Tamaqua, in the back seat.Troopers detected criminal activity and requested a consent search, which Santiago denied. A K-9 unit was called to the scene and detected drugs in the vehicle. Found was 996 grams of cocaine. Troopers said the cocaine was purchased in New York City.Profit took responsibility for the 996 grams of cocaine and pleaded to one count of criminal conspiracy-possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.Matika told him with his prior record score and the offense he pleaded to, he is facing a minimum state prison term of five to 10 years.Sentencing of Profit was deferred as Matika ordered the adult probation office to prepare a presentence investigation report.Medina also pleaded to one count of criminal conspiracy-possession with intent to deliver charge. An inmate in the county prison since the incident, Matika sentenced him to serve three to six years in a state correctional institution. He was also ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation, zero tolerance for drug and alcohol use and supply a DNA sample.He was given credit for 361 days spent in prison to date on the charge.Santiago also pleaded to criminal conspiracy-possession with intent to deliver charge.Santiago, in prison since the incident, was sentenced to serve 180 to 361 days in prison with credit for 361 days and paroled.Medina and Santiago must also pay court costs of about $1,000.